Honda will NOT repair know defect to car. on 2007 Honda Element

I have a 2007 Honda Element that we bought two years ago off a honda used car lot. Yesterday I was driving and hit a speed bump and the gage needles for the tach and speedometer fell off. I read that this was covered by Honda for it is a defect in this years Element. What I found out was they discontinued this December 2010 for no reason. They now want me to pay hundreds of dollars for a new gage cluster even though the orginal was shipped with this defect. I am still trying to get them to admit that this defect does not go away with time but gets worse. They said I should of gotten a notice on this but I never got that notice or any other for the HONDA dealer never signed us up for it. Thay truly are not ethical in their repair practice and if they do not fix on their dime I will NEVER buy a car from Honda again.

Most Recalls have time limits as to when they expire. The original owner got the notices and ignored them, is what it sounds like. You happen to be the one stuck at this point. You can appeal thru Honda warranty. Good luck. You obviously bought the vehicle after feeling that the Honda was your best choice. To say you will never buy another one may be a bit hasty.

Safety recalls do not have a time limit and I now have a car that has two bright lights (where the needles use to be) that shine directly into my eyes. Driving at night is almost imposible with the lights on and there is no way to turn them off that I can find. This defect is also one that can happen at anytime but Honda only wanted to fix the ones that showed the failure and not any that did not so this recall was selective meaning that even if you got the notice you still might not take it in to get it fixed. The problem is ALL the cars had the defect and it is just a matter of time for them to fail.

WRONG !!!!!!!!!! wileysf................."ALL the cars had the defect" is mis-placed anger. You need to go to a different honda dealer with your VIN # only and a reasonable attitude and simply ask if you can have a print-out of the 'VIN status' of your vehicle.I know of a TSB for odometers on elements (recording incorrect miles)and have replaced a few(4 or 5) in8 years @ dealership. Have NEVER seen one where the needles 'simply fell off' when driven over bumps..........HOWEVER I have seen quite a few people come in ranting and raving with wild stories just to get something for free and despise that! I've had people come right over from the body shop EXPECTING us to re-charge their A/C for free after they've wrecked the car......... of coarse they don't tell us that it'd been to the body shop.......we have to waste our time and show them their new aftermarket condensor and radiator and then they say OOPS! I GO OUT OF MY WAY to make sure somebody gets warranty repairs on their vehicle if it's eligible , but don't lie or have 'false facts'.YOU SIR are griping about a relatively small problem (and read the owners manual to learn how to dim the cluster lights) on one of Hondas most reliable vehicles and probably one that will last you for many more years than you expect if you maintain it properly. Good luck!

As ziptie12 says, this is not a safety recall, it is a technical service bulletin that is handled by the dealer free of charge if vehicle has the problem and is reported to the dealer within a certain amount of time. Ziptie has it correct, you are a complainer that wants something for nothing. If anyone made a vehicle that covered everything on it for whatever time the customer feels is appropriate then you would not be able to afford to buy it. Quit your sniveling and see if you can find a good used set of gauges in a salvage yard and find a qualified tech to install for you or just go buy something else but either way just get over yourself and tuck your tail and skitter away. When I ran shops for 25 years I always told customers like you that there was no way to make you happy and for you to find some other shop to do your repairs because you would never be a good customer.

We did have the repair done and we had to pay $250 to Honda but the repair bill require a new gauge unit that cost over $800 just for the parts so Honda did pay for most the work. The Dealer also admitted that with the light so bright with the needles out it was pretty dangerous to drive the car at night. They also did admit that this had become a major issue with some 2007 Elements. A lot more than just a few have been reported. Just Google it and you will see. So we got it fixed and traded it in on a new Mazda. Last Honda that I will ever buy.

Perfect because Honda does not want you as a customer. You have unreal expectations. You are lucky they gave back to you a bit. I personally would have told you to pound sand and never lost any sleep over it. By the way, I bet you are a liberal and think Odumba is a god and love all the entitlements. Go Occupy someplace and be with your buds. People like you make me sick and glad I am out of the industry and don't have to deal with jerks like yourself. Your parents must be proud. Who you gonna blame for something next?

Brought a used 07 Element. Had to replace my instrument cluster at 118,000 miles, when speedometer became totally inaccurate. Purchased 2006 cluster replacement off Ebay, had local Honda Dealer install, charged for labor only. Looks and fits exactly like the 2007 model, but without the cluster "issue"

I have had the same problem with my 2007 element. Hit a bump gauge needles fell off. I contacted Honda who will not honor repairs as it is not a true recall. "Recalls" do not expire, "Product updates" have a time limit. The blinding light and unknown speed makes it impossible to drive safely. To those that this has happened to, I encourage you to contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration http://www.nhtsa.gov/ to report your issue.